Herland Blog 3

     In Herland, by Charlotte Gilman Perkins, a society of just women that have achieved what no other society has, which is the total elimination of poverty in their community. Van sees that the women's careful planning has brought to them the support of their people by the Earth. The women shaped their lives and compromised so that everyone had enough to eat, and became vegans out of necessity. The Herlanders started projects that would affect the future of the society for hundreds of years. For example, one of the projects took nearly a millennia to be completed. “In the case of one tree, in which they took especial pride, it had originally no fruit at all--that is none humanly edible--yet was so beautiful that they wished to keep it, For nine hundred years they had experimented, and now showed us this particularly lovely graceful tree, with a profuse crop of nutritious seeds” (Gilman 67). This shows that the women of this community cared for nature around them and were able to see the fruit that the Earth could give them.
     Throughout Gilman's book, it is seen that Gilman disagreed with the basics of American society during this time period. The ideas of Herland's foundation were often opposite of the American systems and organization. Gilman has breaks down the stereotypes of American men with the change of the intolerant ideas of the visitors to the solely feminine paradise. Gilman reveals the flaws in the accepted life in America, and indicates that perhaps the world would indeed be a gentler, more successful and flourishing place if women held power over it instead of men. She shows this idea by creating the community that has been able to survive for many, many years without the influence of men in any aspect of their society.